What Wheels and Tires for my Lifted TJ?

[Comiccrow]

I’ve had my 2000 TJ since day 1. It originally came with 30”x9.5R15. I stuck on 31x10.5R15 which rubbed a bit on a full turn. I finally got a 3” suspension lift and a 1.25” body lift. I want to put 33” tires on but am having a hell of a time choosing. Do I go to a 16” wheel or stay with the 15”?
I’ve decided on the Pro Comp 69 Series black alloy rims. Now what tires?
I do mild 4x4ing, mostly just logging roads.
This is my daily driver and originally I was going to go with the BF KO2’s. I like them and was thinking the 33x12.5R15 but the place I got my lift suggested the 33x10.5 instead for a better daily drive except they’re almost impossible to find in Vancouver Canada.
Thoughts? What tires and Wheels????? Help a guy out. The pic below is with my original painted rims and 31” tires.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Stay with 15" wheels!!! The reason being is there is such a much better selection of 15" tires and wheels and at lower costs too. You'd hate it if you bought your 16" wheels first and then discovered the dismal selection of 16" tires. If you get much snow in your part of Vancouver I'd go for a narrower 33x10.50 size tire which cuts through street snow better than a 33x12.50 tire does.

 

[JMT]

15" for sure over a 16"

Your ProComp 69 will have less backspacing which will make room for a wider tire.

It's really your call on 10.5" vs 12.5". Consider what Jerry said above, but I use a 12.5" in the snow and ice here in WA. I like the tire sticking out a bit. Running fire roads you could use just about any AT or MT tire without issue.

The more important thing to consider will be your gearing. The larger circumference 33" tire will make it harder to turn the tires and get up to speed and hold speed on hills.

 

[TWiG01]

X3 for a 15” wheel. Really just for tire selection. And as a current owner of 33x10.5” KO2s, I think you received some sound advice. The 10.5s have much nicer road manners than the 12.5s and for a daily driver they’ll help your fuel mileage a little as well. I made the switch a few years ago from 12.5 to 10.5 and don’t regret it in the least.

 

[bobthetj03]

The narrower tire will be lighter, less rolling mass, better braking, etc. Speaking of braking, you'll want to consider an upgrade and then address the dismal loss of power you'll experience with your current gear ratio with 33's. When I switched to 33's, I ran them for a couple years on my factory 3.73 gears. It wasn't super horrible, but I had a 5 speed, so that helped some. Just stuff you'll need to consider down the road after the switch. General makes a good tire too. Grabber ATX I think it is for a all terrain, or the X3 if you want a mud. Both available in a pizza cutter.

 

[Comiccrow]

Thank you all so much for your input. I went with the 10.5. I’ll post some pics once they’re on this week. Since my last post I was looking at spare tire solutions for the bigger tire and I’m happy with my find and then also was hearing lots about gearing and wasn’t sure what I had as some 2000 4.0L Sports had 3.07 and some 3.73. Luckily I had the 3.73 so I’ll see how if goes with most likely an upgrade down the road.

Also saw some threads where people didn’t know how to get their specs. I found this for 1998 and newer. All you need is your VIN#

https://hourlesslife.com/jeep-build-sheet/

 

[TJRick]

Thank you all so much for your input. I went with the 10.5. I’ll post some pics once they’re on this week. Since my last post I was looking at spare tire solutions for the bigger tire and I’m happy with my find and then also was hearing lots about gearing and wasn’t sure what I had as some 2000 4.0L Sports had 3.07 and some 3.73. Luckily I had the 3.73 so I’ll see how if goes with most likely an upgrade down the road.

Also saw some threads where people didn’t know how to get their specs. I found this for 1998 and newer. All you need is your VIN#

https://hourlesslife.com/jeep-build-sheet/

Since you chose the 10.5 - which I think was a wise decision - you can now keep your stock painted Canyon wheels and your tires will stay under the fender flares. Wouldn't that be nice?

If you experience any rubbing with that width, a single washer behind the steering stops should take care of that very easily.